Putting Rating Firms on Negative Watch

By

David Reilly

Feb. 4, 2013 6:13 p.m. ET

Investors in credit-rating companies thought they had put the financial crisis well behind them. That may have been wishful thinking.

Federal and state authorities are set to file civil charges against Standard & Poor's Ratings Services related to its ratings of mortgage bonds in the run-up to the financial crisis, according to The Wall Street Journal. If so, this will be the first federal enforcement action by the government...